So for those who don't know what's been going on lately, we've got a new dog! His name is Finbar Kaneshiro but you can call him Fin. Christina and I named him after Finbar McBride, the diminutive protagonist of the movie "The Station Agent". We decided to name him that since we both love the movie, love the character, plus he seemed to like us calling him "Fin".

He is a ~12lb. poodle or poodle mix who enjoys sleeping, peeing on things, and being nervous. We've already had him to the vet for shots, deworming, and what amounts to a yearly checkup. Adoption is hopefully this Thursday which marks the end of the mandatory 30 day waiting period for strays. As soon as we register him then it's time for a chip (microchip for identification), a snip (poor boy!), and maybe another clip (trip to the groomers), or at least another good brushing.

All in all, he's a very well behaved little dog with trust issues and we all love him.


If I haven't been as diligent with updates and pictures recently as you'd like, please don't blame Fin. He is but a tiny fraction of what's been keeping me busy with either work or worry lately. A bit about what's going on:

• Cousin with cancer (surgery removed most of it but there is still some by the brain stem which may or may not be going down the spinal column)
  
• Neighbor with cancer (Surgery removed all of it. Weekly CAT scans for the next year to see if anything pops up. Keep your fingers crossed)
  
• So yeah, fuck cancer.
  
• Cousin with severe apnea. Yes, you Steve. I worry even though I heard the machine is helping you sleep.
  
• So yeah, fuck apnea.
  
• One wedding. (Sorry Jennifer, I couldn't make it but congratulations!)
  
• Two births. Actually three if you count my other cousin.
  
• One funeral.
  
• A handrail. Pics up tomorrow.
  
• A security door. Pics tomorrow.
  
• Two defective refrigerators. Pics tomorrow.
  
• Carpet, padding, tackstrips, labor. No pics but maybe a follow-up tomorrow.
  
• Cabinet for bathroom vanity. Pics tomorrow.
  
• Cabinet order for Ikea plus shipping.
  

Not that I'm complaining. I'm really not. We have a beautiful new dog, a house we can complain about, and other than the alarming number of people being diagnosed with cancer lately, everyone seems to be in relatively good health. I just thought you all should know.

Things I've fixed lately: 3 Printers (One dye-sub given away, and 2 HP inkjets which need homes). A Porter Cable 5" Random Orbit Sander. A Eureka Optima vacuum. One old dog kennel (Not really fixed but at least painted which was a huge pain in the ass, pics up tomorrow).

Up next are an older HP laptop, an EZ-UP 12' x 14' canopy, my HP desktop, my beloved Pioneer DV-333 DVD player, a whole shitload of cheap furniture, and a camera.



I have yet to sort through, tag, and post any pictures from Japan. I haven't planned the next trip in October with grandpa yet. I have to build a mirror frame, a cabinet, a headboard, an open shelf, and a cap for the pony wall at the top of the stairs.

That's it for now. Pics tomorrow. Night.